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One of the best Hollywood historical epics takes Technicolor to Mexico for a Production Code version of La conquista: the Inquisition is still bad, but the Church is exonerated. Likewise with the invasion — Cesar Romero embodies a marvelous Hernán Cortés, substantially less murderous than the one we now know from accurate history books. Tyrone Power is the heartthrob hero and newcomer Jean Peters the lowborn girl who loves him. The magnificent scenery is matched by the music score of Alfred Newman.

Captain from Castile

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1947 / Color / 137 Academy / 141 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Cesar Romero, Lee J. Cobb, John Sutton, Antonio Moreno, Thomas Gomez, Alan Mowbray, Barbara Lawrence, George Zucco, Roy Roberts, Marc Lawrence, Reed Hadley, Robert Karnes, Estela Inda, Chris-Pin Martin, Jay Silverheels, Gilberto González.

Cinematography: Arthur Arling, Charles G. Clarke, Joseph Lashelle

Film Editor: Barbara McLean...

(See previous post: “Gay Pride Movie Series Comes to a Close: From Heterosexual Angst to Indonesian Coup.”) Ken Russell's Valentino (1977) is notable for starring ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev as silent era icon Rudolph Valentino, whose sexual orientation, despite countless gay rumors, seems to have been, according to the available evidence, heterosexual. (Valentino's supposed affair with fellow “Latin Lover” Ramon Novarro has no basis in reality.) The female cast is also impressive: Veteran Leslie Caron (Lili, Gigi) as stage and screen star Alla Nazimova, ex-The Mamas & the Papas singer Michelle Phillips as Valentino wife and Nazimova protégée Natacha Rambova, Felicity Kendal as screenwriter/producer June Mathis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), and Carol Kane – lately of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame. Bob Fosse's Cabaret (1972) is notable as one of the greatest musicals ever made. As a 1930s Cabaret presenter – and the Spirit of Germany – Joel Grey was the year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner. Liza Minnelli...

David and Bathsheba

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1951 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 116 min. / Street Date January 10, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey, Kieron Moore, James Robertson Justice, Jayne Meadows, George Zucco, Francis X. Bushman, Gwen Verdon

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy

Art Direction: George Davis, Lyle Wheeler

Film Editor: Barbara McLean

Original Music: Alfred Newman

Written by: Philip Dunne

Produced by: Darryl F. Zanuck

Directed by Henry King

Right in the middle of WW2, 20th Fox struck religious pay dirt with two respectful religion-themed movies, one about a miracle and another about the hard life of a priest. Each created a new Hollywood star. Five years later there began a regular Hollywood Bible War. In 1949 Cecil B. DeMille released his first Biblical epic in Technicolor, Samson and Delilah, throwing violence, sex and hammy acting at the screen in even measure. MGM bounced back with a tremendous production of...

It's hard to imagine being nostalgic for a midlife crisis. Nonetheless, it's been 25 years since Billy Crystal conceived of, produced, and starred in the funniest midlife-crisis movie ever. A quarter-century after the release of "City Slickers" (on June 7, 1991), fans remember it fondly for its story of three tenderfoot cowpokes out of their depth, for Jack Palance's wonderfully hard-bitten trail boss, and for generating one of the most memorable moments in Oscar history.

In honor of the film's 25th anniversary, we've rounded up these little-known "City Slickers" facts.

1. Crystal came up with the idea for the movie while watching a TV show about middle-aged men going on life-changing fantasy vacations. He borrowed the plot from John Wayne's "The Cowboys," reimagined it as a comedy, and hired screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel to craft it into a screenplay. The two writers were too lazy to visit an actual dude...

Robert Altman's murder tale reeks of insider access and Hollywood hipster Bs; its main claim to greatness is its fifty-plus star cameos. It may no longer seem as smart as it looked in 1992, but they don't make 'em any slicker than this. The Player Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 812 1992 / Color /1:85 widescreen / 124 min. / Available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 24, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lyle Lovett. Cinematography Jean Lépine Original Music Thomas Newman Written by Michael Tolkin from his novel Produced by David Brown, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler Directed by Robert Altman

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Robert Altman's filmography is undergoing what looks like a full retrospective through Criterion; even the 1975 title Nashville came out not long ago. This very successful later picture marks a revitalization of the director's career. It's sort of a Kafkaesque spin on Hail,...

This fascinating look at the world of the flying trapeze centers on one of the greatest acts in circus history, The Flying Gaonas. First performing on a trampoline, the Gaonas went on to become a star attraction for the best circuses in the world, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

"The Flight Fantastic" opens April 1st a the Cinema Village in New York.

Having left the center ring, we see The Flying Gaonoas pass the torch through teaching and coaching to new generations. When Tito decided to retire from the circus he did not retire from the trapeze and set up programs at Club Med and Camp Care for children with cancer. When the next big circus act, the Vasquez Family, succeeded theirs, Tito’s comment about them was “I’m just glad they’re Mexican like us”.

You will love the circus spirit of this documentary. And the love that went into creating it is a charisma to the trapeze artists themselves.

Sports Illustrated has said, "Tito Gaona may be the finest athlete in the world...whenever circus people gather to speak of the best acrobats of all time he will be mentioned; some will even say that Tito Gaona was the best ever."

Director Tom Moore, a long-time Broadway Director (and trapeze flyer), brings their story to life through interviews with family members and colorful archival material. The Gaonas light up the screen with their blazing charisma, a quality that is undiminished in their "second act".

Your career on Broadway and in television is so vast and varied, what inspired you to make this documentary?

I feel I’ve been very fortunate in my career and life in that I’ve had an opportunity to do so many things. A good many successful, and even more a great experience. But like many people in the arts I’m always looking for a new adventure and a new way of work.

Mike Nichols was once asked, what do you enjoy doing most plays or films, and he replied “Whatever I haven’t done last.” Well, documentary was a form I had never had a chance to direct, and because of my passion for the trapeze, and my passion for film, it allowed me to combine my skills to tell a story I felt had to be told.

Do your past productions on B’way and in TV share anything in common with “Flight Fantastic”?

First and foremost, all of my productions whether on B’way or TV or film hopefully tell an interesting and intriguing story with compelling characters, with a lot of excitement and drama thrown in for good measure. As a director, there is also probably a certain style and sense of theatrics that hopefully helps tell the story and progress the plot.

You say you also work out on the trapeze? How did that come about?

What led to trapeze also led to making this documentary. In retrospect, it all seems like a through line from the first time I took hold of the trapeze bar and “flew,” to making this film called “The Flight Fantastic.”

I had been entranced as a child with the circus, but more particularly the flying trapeze and I no doubt fantasized about being a trapeze star. As my life and career went on of course, that faded into childhood and the past. But one year, feeling I had been doing too much of the same thing for way too long, I began looking for a new adventure. Well, I discovered the Flying Trapeze, and a childhood memory was brought to life when I had a chance to learn to “fly” with Richie Gaona at the Gaona Trapeze Workshop.

As Sam Keene, a wonderful writer on the trapeze world said. “Sometimes a childhood fantasy that you never dared to dream, holds the key to renewal.” And that is exactly what it did for me. It gave me a new sense of exhilaration which led to better work and better life. As I continued to practice it as a sport, I also got to know Richie and the whole Gaona family. These were some of the greatest athletes who ever lived, and absolutely one of the “greatest flying acts in the history of the circus,” and outside the circus world,, most no longer knew who they were. I felt I had the skills to right that wrong, and the result is “The Flight Fantastic.”

What other involvements do you have with the Gaona family?

The Gaona famly is quite the amazing group of individuals, charismatic and compelling, and I have gotten to know them deeply over the years, and have become almost a surrogate, though very wasp Gaona. I have a photo where Richie photoshopped me, wearing a matching trapeze robe, into one of their iconic press photos, and it looks like Victor, the patriarch is looking at me saying something like “Who let the blonde guy in???”

I’m very fond of all of them, and all of them, by the way, are very unique and different from each other, but the one I love the most was the matriarch Teresa (Mama Terre) Gaona. Had she been alive, she would have been one of the stars of this film. I am quite sure the warmth of this family came directly from her care. People were drawn to her everywhere, and being around her made for a “happy” time. There were four children that became performers on the trampoline and trapeze, but there are 3 others that had different careers altogether. One of the narrators of this film is Jose, often called “The Walking Gaona.”

Who do you see as your audience?

We knew that the film would have a core audience of those who love the circus and the aerial arts (and it has brought many to the film) but Tff seems to reach many others because of the warmth of the family, the closeness of the family, and the family’s ability to work together to build something (as Paul Binder, founder of the Big Apple Circus says) “magnificent.” It seems to reach old and young alike for many different reasons. The ringmaster at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus used to say: “Ladies and Gentlemen, and Children of All Ages…..”

Something happens when an audience sees this film in a theatre. (And this was a surprise to me when I first saw it on a big screen). It seems to unite them in a shared sense of hope and joy. It seems to rejuvenate and inspire. At all of our screenings in many different places, the reactions have been the same and it has been very exciting.

Tell us about Camp Care

Camp Care (a camp for children coping with cancer) is located on Lake Lure in North Carolina, and it was actually our first shoot for the documentary. It was knowing that Richie and Armando Gaona were going there to coach, teach, and support, that got me off of the theoretical idea and into the practical of making the movie. Within a couple of days, I had gotten our equipment, and a few people together to help, and off we went.

I can safely say that I don’t think I have ever been in a more inspirational, supportive and caring environment. Many of these kids had just gotten out of a hospital room to come to camp which is held for one week every year, and their joy in being there was palpable. That they never complained, and that they worked through fear to go up on that trapeze to achieve their goal was impressive at every turn. And it wasn’t just the kids, as I was also very impressed with the counselors, many who arranged their year of study or work just to be available at Camp Care for these children, some of whom had been coming to the camp for years. I have so much film of this camp, as I just couldn’t stop filming, as around every corner and every group of children, there was something remarkable. I could have stopped right there and made a documentary about this magical place alone. I look forward to going back there again some day as I remember it and everyone there with great fondness.

In the days when the circus was one of the most important events of the year and when audiences went to see their favorite performers each and every season, The Flying Gaonas were Big Top royalty. Often called the "First Family of the Air", The Flying Gaonas are a 4th generation Mexican circus family. They began their careers on the trampoline, but quickly took to the air.

From the beginning, Tito Gaona always knew he wanted to be a trapeze artist and used to fly with any trapeze act that came to the circus, starting at the age of 10. And after seeing the Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis movie “Trapeze”, Tito convinced his father, Victor - a legend in his own right- and siblings to develop a trapeze act, making their debut at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers circus. It took only a couple of years for them to become one of great acts of the circus, and in their time they were the headliners in circuses around the world. Most notably, they performed for 17 years with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey, The Big Apple and the legendary European circuses. For this, The Flying Gaonas won the circus world's highest award, The Golden Clown, at the international circus festival at Monte Carlo - the Oscars of the circus world.

The charismatic and very handsome Tito was the center of the act and one of the foremost innovators in the world of trapeze. People would come again and again to see him perform, and often he would have arenas of 40,000 people chanting and clapping: “Tito, Tito, Tito! It is said that Tito communicated with an audience as if he or she was a very personal friend, and he could mesmerize 25,000 or 40,000 people at a time.

When the Gaonas were in residence at Madison Square Garden with the Ringling show, the flying act was covered by all the major media in the city, each and every year. NBC news called him “arguably the greatest athlete in the world today.”

It is said that their skill came from their father,Victor and that their warmth and generosity came from their mother, Teresa. “The Flight Fantastic” is dedicated to her memory.

“The Flight Fantastic “is Tom Moore’s first documentary feature, although he has had a long career in theatre, film, and television fiction. He directed the film of “Night Mother” with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft, following his direction of the Broadway production with Kathy Bates, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and for which he received his second Tony nomination

In the theatre, Mr. Moore is best known as the director of the original production of “Grease”, which ran for eight years and is one of the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. Over the years, this production introduced John Travolta, Richard Gere, Patrick Swayzee, Peter Gallagher, Treat Williams, Barry Bostwick, Marilu Henner, Adrienne Barbeau, and countless others.

His first directorial Tony nomination was for the direction of the Big Band Musical “Over Here!”, which brought the Andrews Sisters out of retirement. Other Broadway productions include the critically-embraced revival of “Once in a Lifetime” (with John Lithgow, Deborah May, Treat Williams, and Jayne Meadows) at the Circle-in-the Square, “Division Street”, “The Octette Bridge Club”, “A Little Hotel On The Side” with Tony Randall and Lynn Redgrave, and the short-lived, but legendary

“Frankenstein” at the Palace Theatre.

His most recent Broadway production was “Moon Over Buffalo” with Carol Burnett.

On television, he directed Disney’s first original musical for television, “Geppetto”, starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. He has helmed episodes of “ER” (Emmy nomination), “Mad About You” (Emmy nomination), “L.A. Law” (Emmy nomination), “Cheers”, “Ally McBeal”, “Gilmore Girls”,”Thirtysomething”, “Cybil” and many others.

He was a fellow at the American Film Institute, and he holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Drama. He was also awarded the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, by Purdue University.

As an avocation, Mr. Moore is actively involved with the Circus Arts, and spends as much time as possible on the flying trapeze.

Katharine Hepburn movies. Katharine Hepburn movies: Woman in drag, in love, in danger In case you're suffering from insomnia, you might want to spend your night and early morning watching Turner Classic Movies' "Summer Under the Stars" series. Four-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn is TCM's star today, Aug. 7, '15. (See TCM's Katharine Hepburn movie schedule further below.) Whether you find Hepburn's voice as melodious as a singing nightingale or as grating as nails on a chalkboard, you may want to check out the 1933 version of Little Women. Directed by George Cukor, this cozy – and more than a bit schmaltzy – version of Louisa May Alcott's novel was a major box office success, helping to solidify Hepburn's Hollywood stardom the year after her film debut opposite John Barrymore and David Manners in Cukor's A Bill of Divorcement. They don't make 'em like they used to Also, the 1933 Little Women...

Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen dead at 48 Nicholas Kallsen, who was featured opposite Brad Pitt in the short-lived television series Glory Days, has died at age 48 in Thailand according to online reports. Their source is one of Rupert Murdoch's rags, citing a Facebook posting by one of the actor's friends. The cause of death was purportedly – no specific source was provided – a drug overdose.* Aired on Fox in July 1990, Glory Days told the story of four high-school friends whose paths take different directions after graduation. Besides Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt, the show also featured Spike Alexander and Evan Mirand. Glory Days lasted a mere six episodes – two of which directed by former Happy Days actor Anson Williams – before its cancellation. Roommates Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt vying for same 'Thelma & Louise' role? The Murdoch tabloid also...

Jayne Meadows, an Emmy-nominated actress known for her role on the TV series High Society, as well as the game show I've Got a Secret, died Sunday, April 26, of natural causes, Entertainment Tonight reports. She was 95 years old. Born in China to missionary parents, Meadows first rose to fame in the 1940s. Over the next five-plus decades, she graced both stage and screen in projects including Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Undercurrent, which costarred Katharine Hepburn. Between 1978 and 1996, she was nominated for three [...]...

Jayne Meadows, actress and former wife of Steve Allen, died Sunday at her Encino, California, home, the New York Times reports. She was 95. Born Jayne Meadows Cotter on Sept., 27, 1919 in Wuchang, China, Meadows — whose sister Audrey played Alice Kramden on “The Honeymooners” — broke into Broadway in the early ’40s, appearing in productions including “Spring Again,” “Another Love Story” and “Many Happy Returns.” Meadows’ first film, 1946’s “Undercurrent,” starred Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum. Other films followed, including the Lionel Barrymore movie “Dark Delusion,” “Lady in the Lake” and “Song of the Thin Man.” Later,...

Longtime television actress and Broadway star Jayne Meadows Allen has passed away at 95. The widow of TV legend Steve Allen died at her home in Encino, Calif., Sunday evening due to natural causes. Meadows' career in the spotlight spanned nearly seven decades and ranged from plays to Emmy-nominated television shows and even films alongside the likes of Katharine Hepburn. She also toured the country in a one-woman show dubbed Powerful Women in History for seven years, as well as appeared as a longtime panelist on CBS' I've Got a Secret. The beloved actress was nominated for three Emmys: one for her 1977 episode of PBS' Meeting of Minds, the second in 1987 for NBC's St. Elsewhere...

Jayne Meadows Allen, a gifted comedian in the Lucille Ball vein who became familiar to TV audiences as a longtime panelist on CBS’ I’ve Got A Secret, died April 26 of natural causes at her home in Encino, CA. She was 95. Her death was announced by her son Bill Allen, CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, who was with her in her final hours along with his wife Marie and Jayne’s grandchildren Bradley, Robert and Amanda. She had lived in the San Fernando…...

Jayne Meadows Allen, a gifted comedian in the Lucille Ball vein who became familiar to TV audiences as a longtime panelist on CBS’ I’ve Got A Secret, died April 26 of natural causes at her home in Encino, CA. She was 95. Her death was announced by her son Bill Allen, CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, who was with her in her final hours along with his wife Marie and Jayne’s grandchildren Bradley, Robert and Amanda. She had lived in the San Fernando…...

Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...

Tyrone Power, who died 50 years ago at 44, has more of his movies available on DVD than practically any of his peers from Hollywood's Golden Age.

Partly, it's because he worked almost exclusively from 1937 to 1952 for 20th Century Fox, which has already released his classics, including "The Mark of Zorro," "Jesse James," "The Black Swan" and "In Old Chicago."

It's also because Power is more respected today - because of more ambitious roles in darker films like "Nightmare Alley" and "The Razor's Edge" -...